2026 Season

[Bob1975]

From the Athletic

"One thing to keep in mind, whenever it starts to feel like college football sucks these days:
College football will never suck. That's because college football is played by college football players, and college football players are cool. Every year. Every game. Even if it involves UMass.
In times like these, when we're all sick of guys in suits doing nothing to save one institution or another from other guys in suits, let's remember the guys in cleats. It has always been fun to watch them, and it will always be fun to watch them. Selah.
So let's look ahead to the forever-fulfilling act of watching college football players play college football. We don't have to look far ahead, because it starts next week."

That's why we continue to punish ourselves as UMASS fans.

[ZooMass84]

I must be a masochist: I have either listened on WCRN or watched on NESN or ESPN/ESPN2 etc to almost every fuckin’ game since the great Charley Molnar days to the present day.

[DeeDeeBee]

This year will be a more enjoyable experience!!
I believe Harasymiak is developing a great culture here.

[Jack]

Hopefully the actual games will be more fun. I support Thorr, Coach Harasyniak, our Team and UMMB.

However, comms w/ST holders seem poor. For example, less than a year ago our AD announced a planned $25M-$30M investment to upgrade Personnel, Staff, facilities, Stadium and Gameday experience. Great - I want to support the program so I donated to Script U for Maroon Lot 11 Parking. I received no Comms from the program as to how those investments have thus far been used to improve anything. Further, there was apparently a decision made w/o ST holder input to force Lot 11 Maroon and White pass holders to enter via Rocky Hill Road near the sundial rather then simply allow us to choose to enter via Rocky Hill Road or Bernie Dallas Mall (my preference).

Why do this ? No idea b/c no Comms w/ST holders. How does this improve the Football team or the ST gameday experience? ditto.

[minutefanjsf]

Hopefully the actual games will be more fun. I support Thorr, Coach Harasyniak, our Team and UMMB.

However, comms w/ST holders seem poor. For example, less than a year ago our AD announced a planned $25M-$30M investment to upgrade Personnel, Staff, facilities, Stadium and Gameday experience. Great - I want to support the program so I donated to Script U for Maroon Lot 11 Parking. I received no Comms from the program as to how those investments have thus far been used to improve anything. Further, there was apparently a decision made w/o ST holder input to force Lot 11 Maroon and White pass holders to enter via Rocky Hill Road near the sundial rather then simply allow us to choose to enter via Rocky Hill Road or Bernie Dallas Mall (my preference).

Why do this ? No idea b/c no Comms w/ST holders. How does this improve the Football team or the ST gameday experience? ditto.

Also, based on the image Steve81 supplied, it looks like the gridiron tailgate has been enlarged pushing white lot 11 to the second level of the lot. Difficult to discern, however they made a similar change a few years ago. It lasted a year. Hopefully all the parents and families of players are gridiron members because the parent section is what it looks like the gridiron club has taken over (again). Not having a map or numbered spots when people are donating to pick a parking spot has been the MO for UMass. I’ll also die on the hill that students should not be relegated to the back of lot 11. That was and is one of the dumbest moves Bamford has made in regard to game day operations. It is one of the saddest displays on game day watching the students walk through all the STH and donor lots to leave instead of heading to the game. His plan having them next to the stadium has not worked in the decade he’s been here.

[ZooMass84]

Hopefully the actual games will be more fun. I support Thorr, Coach Harasyniak, our Team and UMMB.

However, comms w/ST holders seem poor. For example, less than a year ago our AD announced a planned $25M-$30M investment to upgrade Personnel, Staff, facilities, Stadium and Gameday experience. Great - I want to support the program so I donated to Script U for Maroon Lot 11 Parking. I received no Comms from the program as to how those investments have thus far been used to improve anything. Further, there was apparently a decision made w/o ST holder input to force Lot 11 Maroon and White pass holders to enter via Rocky Hill Road near the sundial rather then simply allow us to choose to enter via Rocky Hill Road or Bernie Dallas Mall (my preference).

Why do this ? No idea b/c no Comms w/ST holders. How does this improve the Football team or the ST gameday experience? ditto.

Also, based on the image Steve81 supplied, it looks like the gridiron tailgate has been enlarged pushing white lot 11 to the second level of the lot. Difficult to discern, however they made a similar change a few years ago. It lasted a year. Hopefully all the parents and families of players are gridiron members because the parent section is what it looks like the gridiron club has taken over (again). Not having a map or numbered spots when people are donating to pick a parking spot has been the MO for UMass. I’ll also die on the hill that students should not be relegated to the back of lot 11. That was and is one of the dumbest moves Bamford has made in regard to game day operations. It is one of the saddest displays on game day watching the students walk through all the STH and donor lots to leave instead of heading to the game. His plan having them next to the stadium has not worked in the decade he’s been here.

He has NO plan.........he's a nepo hire and untouchable/unfireable..........he's got that dumb look and him making $1,000,000 is truly disgusting.

[ZooMass84]

From the Athletic

"One thing to keep in mind, whenever it starts to feel like college football sucks these days:
College football will never suck. That's because college football is played by college football players, and college football players are cool. Every year. Every game. Even if it involves UMass.
In times like these, when we're all sick of guys in suits doing nothing to save one institution or another from other guys in suits, let's remember the guys in cleats. It has always been fun to watch them, and it will always be fun to watch them. Selah.
So let's look ahead to the forever-fulfilling act of watching college football players play college football. We don't have to look far ahead, because it starts next week."

That's why we continue to punish ourselves as UMASS fans.

I really hope we get a couple wins this season.........this "program" has sucked since its inception with the exception of 2017/2018. Historically bad. We must beat Sacred Heart and Stonehill. no excuses. The FBS wins are like jewels they are so precious. Whip never should have gotten fired. He had us competitive even in his first 3 seasons. They give a retard AD like Bamford MULTIPLE 5 year contracts but the one guy who knows what he is doing, he has to get fired after his one and only 5 year contract. Bamford had to fire Whipple BECAUSE HE COULD.........then brings in Coach Gomer.......had a TV in every room in his house when the moron SHOULD HAVE BEEN READING BOOKS.

[ZooMass84]

Everyone give this a quick read:

https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2013/1 ... -peter-may

UMass football crossed its "Rubicon" when the university decided to move its program from the lower Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), driven by the financial reality that a struggling FBS program is more profitable than a winning FCS one.As explored in an analysis by WBUR, this turning point meant leaving behind regional FCS rivalries and national championship hopes for the expensive, high-stakes world of major college football.

This was written THIRTEEN YEARS AGO. Still true today. I honestly think the hiring of Ryan Bamford was part and parcel of this. He's ideal: borderline incompetent, no skills, his "college education" at Ithaca is not worth the paper its written on. So who are his first hires: Coach Gomer and McCall........they actually were about the same age and looked similar. Walt Bell was WORSE than Charley Molnar. Matt McCall was arguable the worst basketball coach UMass ever had. You'd have to go back to Ray Wilson for a more pitiful coach.

[PreecherJenkins]

Everyone give this a quick read:

https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2013/1 ... -peter-may

UMass football crossed its "Rubicon" when the university decided to move its program from the lower Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), driven by the financial reality that a struggling FBS program is more profitable than a winning FCS one.As explored in an analysis by WBUR, this turning point meant leaving behind regional FCS rivalries and national championship hopes for the expensive, high-stakes world of major college football.

This was written THIRTEEN YEARS AGO. Still true today. I honestly think the hiring of Ryan Bamford was part and parcel of this. He's ideal: borderline incompetent, no skills, his "college education" at Ithaca is not worth the paper its written on. So who are his first hires: Coach Gomer and McCall........they actually were about the same age and looked similar. Walt Bell was WORSE than Charley Molnar. Matt McCall was arguable the worst basketball coach UMass ever had. You'd have to go back to Ray Wilson for a more pitiful coach.

Matt McCall was the WORST basketball coach in UMass history. He gave his program away to a snakesalesman prep school coach who was dating/engaged/married to a top recruit.

[OutlawPete]

Matt McCall was the WORST basketball coach in UMass history. He gave his program away to a snakesalesman prep school coach who was dating/engaged/married to a top recruit.

No, Bamford gave the program to Bergeron. Bamford was DESPERATE for McCall to be good because firing DK pissed off a lot of people deep inside the UMass circles. The type of people who donate buildings.

McCall had to accept or lose his job. While McCall sucked, Bamford was controlling the team at the time. Ryan was making lineups and suggesting plays during 7:00 AM meetings the night after games. He tried the 7 AM meetings with Frank too. Go back and find one of Frank's postgame interviews from early in his second season. He mentions how the program had to change things in Year 2, like "stopping the early morning meetings."

From the outside looking in, Bamford did everything to "help" McCall be successful. But if that's true, why did McCall take that not-so-veiled shot at Bamford on the radio a few weeks ago? (I think the exact quote was in a hoops thread)

Ryan was doing similar crap with Walt Bell and football, but I don't know the full details of that tale

[TheInsider]

I'll tell you what he did for Walt Bell.. he fired the head academic advisor because he had the nerve to say he wouldn’t relax the standards... the advisor was was a well connected alumni of Umass.. RB ended up paying him not to work for YEARS.

[minutefanjsf]

I'll tell you what he did for Walt Bell.. he fired the head academic advisor because he had the nerve to say he wouldn’t relax the standards... the advisor was was a well connected alumni of Umass.. RB ended up paying him not to work for YEARS.

Not sure what this means. How would firing the head academic advisor maintain standards? I assume Bamford fired the advisor, but it isn’t clear in your post. Did Walt Bell say he wouldn’t relax standards? What standards? I don’t see much evidence of standards with Bamford.

[TheInsider]

Walt Bell needed players.. UMass had academic standards for its athletes. RB needed Walt Bell to succeed since it was "his guy" after firing Whip. Head athletic advisor said he would not relax any academic standards or just push guys through for the sake of the new head coach. RB fired him to get him out of the way without cause. Thats why the person collected a check from UMass for years after

[Jack]

The idiocy of the putting the student tailgate at the back of Lot 22 is self evident at every single game and yet the idiocy continues unabated despite some ST vehicles in Lot 11 have been vandalized, puked on by drunken students despite assurances of improved Lot 11 security. Remind me again, what has the $25M-30M been spent on thus far?

[69MG]

^ Materials to clean up the puke.